Qi Cultivation Innateness! (Seeking Collection)

In the quiet room.

Zhou Hao took a High-Grade Origin Stone from his Mustard Stone Space, closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and began preparing to cultivate the newly acquired Qi-refining technique, the Water Source Sutra.

The Mustard Stone he had previously obtained from Motai Jie had already been given to Iron Ox, along with the Dog-Head Gold and Thunder Gold inside; the one Zhou Hao was using now was obtained after killing Yuan Lie.

As a peak Xiantian powerhouse, Yuan Lie not only possessed a Mustard Stone with several times the capacity of Motai Jie's, but the Origin Stones and Thunder Gold he carried were also far more numerous—he had sixteen High-Grade Origin Stones alone.

One must know that even a Xiantian Battalion commander like Cao Rong could only receive one High-Grade Origin Stone per month, while those below him, such as Guild Leaders and Squad Leaders, could not even receive one in a year.

Tomorrow is the day of the Green Flood Dragon Army martial competition. If I want to increase my strength, it all depends on whether I can break through in Qi-refining tonight.

Now that the Chiming Nine Heavens Map had reached the fourth level and entered the Xiantian realm, the rest was a matter of accumulating the Lunar and Solar energies from the two supreme stars over time—a process of slow, grinding effort that allowed for no shortcuts.

However, Qi-refining allowed one to absorb the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy from High-Grade Origin Stones, which was countless times faster than condensing energy through techniques alone. This was the only way Zhou Hao could think of to improve his strength overnight.

More importantly, the divine power within his body was contained within his cells, and the Blue Flower in his sea of consciousness seemed uninterested in it. Zhou Hao could only pin his hopes on the possibility that once his Qi-refining reached the Xiantian realm, the Xiantian True Origin within him might pique the interest of that great entity, leading to the refinement of more Blue Flower Mist.

Hoo~~~~

Haa~~~~

Hoo~~~~

As Zhou Hao began to breathe in accordance with the first level of the Water Source Sutra, he quickly felt a reaction of Qi within his body.

Threads of warm, internal strength began to emerge from his limbs and bones, circulating through his meridians according to the technique's path.

Every Qi-refining technique begins with "refining essence into Qi."

For an ordinary person who has never cultivated, simply generating a sense of Qi and refining the body's essence into internal strength takes days, or even months.

But Zhou Hao was no ordinary person; his body-refining had already reached the Xiantian realm, and his body was the perfect Innate God and Devil Body, brimming with essence.

The initial hurdle of Qi-refining was passed in mere moments.

Soon, the first and second levels of the Water Source Sutra were mastered in succession, and his internal strength flooded his meridians, circulating continuously through his body.

The third level of the Water Source Sutra involved condensing Heaven and Earth Origin Energy to "draw Qi into the body," thereby refining the internal strength and transforming it from a gaseous state into more pure, liquid True Origin.

Hoo~~~~

The air in the quiet room grew increasingly humid as Zhou Hao circulated his technique to condense the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy.

The High-Grade Origin Stone in his hand, filled with Heaven and Earth Origin Energy that flowed like water vapor, gradually formed a vortex and was absorbed into Zhou Hao's body.

Once his internal strength was condensed to the limit and produced liquid True Origin, the third level of the Water Source Sutra would be considered mastered, allowing him to enter the fourth level of cultivation.

By then, Zhou Hao's Qi-refining would also enter the Xiantian realm, allowing his Xiantian True Origin to be projected externally, enabling him to activate unranked magical treasures and utilize various Dao talismans, formations, and the like.

In front of the Martial Repository.

"Cough, cough, cough~~~"

On the recliner, a violent fit of coughing left Master Jingzhi's face pale, yet his gaze remained fixed on the Lunar Star in the sky.

"The night is deep and cold; why not return inside to rest?" A voice suddenly sounded by Master Jingzhi's ear.

His gaze shifted slightly, and he saw a long-haired man in green robes appear in mid-air in the distance.

The green-robed man's long hair drifted in the wind; he looked handsome and appeared to be less than twenty years old, yet his eyes held the weariness of a middle-aged man who had seen the vicissitudes of life.

"With such beautiful moonlight, how could I see it from inside?" Master Jingzhi's lips curled upward. "As for you, the dignified City Lord of Jade Dragon City, True Person Muxuan of the Myriad Phenomena realm—you return to Jade Dragon City and instead of handling official business, you come to me first. Are you that idle?"

"Is a brother visiting his younger brother considered being idle?"

True Person Muxuan looked at Master Jingzhi's pale, almost grayish-blue complexion, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes.

Whoosh!

A flash of light passed, and a jade bottle suddenly appeared on the stone table beside the recliner.

"This 'Nine-Leaf Lingzhi Pill' is something I just auctioned from Tianbao Mountain. Its medicinal power is extremely gentle. Even, even a mortal can withstand it."

At this, True Person Muxuan paused. Seeing that Master Jingzhi showed no reaction, he continued, "Although it cannot extend your lifespan, it can at least ensure you live to the natural limit of a mortal..."

"Don't waste Origin Liquid on me. What does living a few more years matter?" Master Jingzhi shook his head. "When Yueying died, I already went with her."

True Person Muxuan fell silent, as if the pretty young girl who loved lecturing her fellow disciples appeared before him once more.

She, too, had loved the moonlight best.

"Right." A smile appeared on Master Jingzhi's face. "I met an interesting person today."

"Interesting?" True Person Muxuan was startled.

"He listened to me lecture for an entire day." Master Jingzhi's smile grew wider.

Back then, only he had been willing to listen to Yueying lecture, though later, it became him lecturing others.

Perhaps only in these moments could he experience a fraction of the joy his junior sister had felt back then.

"Just for that?" True Person Muxuan asked. "What is his name?"

"Zhou Hao. A little fellow who has cultivated the Chiming Nine Heavens Map to the fourth level, yet has never practiced Qi-refining."

Bang!

With another dull thud, the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy within the High-Grade Origin Stone in Zhou Hao's hand was exhausted, and the original jade stone crumbled into a pile of powder that slipped through his fingers.

"Water Source Sutra, fourth level, Xiantian lifeform of Qi Refining." Zhou Hao waved his hand, and his True Origin formed a gust of wind that blew the stone powder aside.

At this moment, all the internal energy within his body had condensed into liquid-like Xiantian True Origin.

Normally, after a peak Post-Heaven Qi Refiner breaks through to the Xiantian realm, the Xiantian True Origin circulates through the meridians, slowly cleansing the bones, muscles, and skin to bring the body into a light, agile state, thereby shedding the mortal shell to become a true Xiantian lifeform.

However, this is actually the weakest type of Xiantian lifeform body; a simple sword thrust through the heart could end its life, far less powerful than the God-Devil Body formed after breaking through via God-Devil Body Refining.

This is why it is said that body refining crushes Qi refining at the same level.

Zhou Hao's entire physical body had been nurtured into a Xiantian God-Devil body by the True Fire and True Water descended from the Lunar Star and Solar Star, which saved him this step.

"If only I had more High-Grade Origin Stones, or even Origin Liquid," Zhou Hao sighed inwardly. "Otherwise, breaking through to the Purple Mansion realm overnight might not be impossible."

Wanting to cultivate and improve?

A powerful soul! Realm! Cultivation technique! Heaven and Earth Origin Energy! None of these four can be lacking.

For a Qi-refining cultivator, this is even more true.

First is the soul.

According to Master Jingzhi, as the soul grows stronger, various phenomena will appear.

An ordinary Purple Mansion cultivator can multitask!

An ordinary Myriad Phenomena True Person can manifest divine sense!

A Primordial Spirit Daoist can open the Heavenly Eye and manifest spiritual sense!

Zhou Hao had practiced the Visualization Technique since childhood; his soul had already developed divine sense, and his soul strength was already comparable to a Myriad Phenomena True Person. At the very least, he did not need to worry about the soul aspect before the Primordial Spirit realm.

Next is the realm.

According to Master Jingzhi, the Heavenly Dao is ethereal and difficult to grasp even in the slightest. To attain the Dao, one can only do so by practicing various skills; as one becomes more familiar with these skills, the heart aligns with Heaven and Earth, entering the Dao through skill.

Therefore, "realm" refers to the practitioner's improvement in their skills.

Whether it is swordsmanship, blade techniques, staff techniques, fist techniques, movement techniques, or even calligraphy, painting, playing the zither, etc., any skill practiced to its peak can lead to the Dao.

Divided by realm:

The first level is the foundation, which means becoming familiar with a skill.

The second level is the realm of subtlety, representing perfect control over a skill.

The third level is the Unity of Heaven and Man, representing a state where the skill approaches the Dao, allowing one to embody the heart of Heaven and draw upon the power of Heaven and Earth through skill alone.

After reaching the Unity of Heaven and Man, one can align their heart with Heaven and begin to perceive the mysteries of the world, gradually discovering the "Dao" within.

When a practitioner gains insight, it counts as having grasped a trace of the "True Meaning of the Dao," which is the fourth level of realm.

It is very difficult to grasp the True Meaning of the Dao; some Purple Mansion cultivators may not even grasp it, mostly remaining at the third level of the Unity of Heaven and Man.

As for higher levels, there is the fifth level, "Domain of the Dao," and the sixth level, "Completely Grasping a Dao," which are profound realms only possessed by Primordial Spirit Daoists or even Void Return Earth Immortals.

Zhou Hao had previously used the Blue Flower Mist to enter the "thoughtless" state of Dao-seeking, and had already grasped a trace of the True Meaning of the Dao for both Blazing Flame and Flowing Water.

His current realm was so high that a superficial outer-sect Qi-refining technique like the Water Source Sutra posed absolutely no bottleneck for him.

His soul was strong enough, his realm was high enough, and he lacked no techniques, but what he lacked now was precisely the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy, which seemed the least rare.

The Heaven and Earth Origin Energy in this world is infinite. Even if ordinary mortals do not know how to cultivate and just breathe normally, they will become light and healthy over time, far better than the bodies of people on Earth in his past life.

But if one wants to cultivate, relying on oneself to painstakingly condense Heaven and Earth Origin Energy is too slow.

Just going from the early Xiantian stage to the peak, even with Zhou Hao's perfect Xiantian God-Devil body, would be a delusion without years of hard work.

And wanting to break through the Xiantian lifeform stage to open a Purple Mansion in the Dantian requires a massive amount of pure Heaven and Earth Origin Energy.

Although the Heaven and Earth Origin Energy in High-Grade Origin Stones is already very pure and places minimal burden on the body, it is still far inferior to Origin Liquid.

Origin Liquid is the essence of Heaven and Earth Origin Energy refined to the extreme. It places no burden on the body and can be completely refined for one's own use in a short period of time.

"It doesn't need to be much, even a few pounds of Origin Liquid would be fine."

Zhou Hao knew he was daydreaming.

Origin Stones still have naturally occurring veins, but Origin Liquid is always created by powerful cultivators—at least at the level of a Primordial Spirit Daoist—who set up gathering arrays, delay their own cultivation, and expend their mental energy to condense Heaven and Earth Origin Energy into Origin Liquid.

Delaying cultivation and expending mental energy is clearly not worth it for a Primordial Spirit Daoist.

Generally, only large sects and great tribes with Primordial Spirit Daoists, Earth Immortals, or Loose Immortals who are trapped in bottlenecks and unable to advance would do such a thing.

Therefore, Origin Liquid is naturally monopolized by those large sects and great tribes.

At least for now, it was out of the question.

"Let's first see if the Blue Flower Boss in my sea of consciousness is willing to eat Xiantian True Origin."

Zhou Hao's heart stirred, and the True Origin in his body flowed toward the Mud Pill Palace where his sea of consciousness resided.

Although body refining crushes Qi refining at the same level, that refers to situations where no magic treasures or artifacts are used.

Both major cultivation schools have their own strengths; at the very least, compared to divine power, Xiantian True Origin is far more obedient and docile.

"Huh, it actually works!"

For the past two days, the lady of the house has been down with a fever. Suifeng suddenly found himself having to take care of both a big one and a small one, all while working and trying to write; he was truly overwhelmed.

The most heartwarming moments are probably when he sees the names of old friends appearing in the author's dashboard.

Thanks to my old pal 'One Bite to Become a Pig' for the 5000-point tip.

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Thanks to the book friend with the tail number '1019' for the 100-point tip.

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Suifeng bows in gratitude!

No matter how bitter or tiring it gets, the updates will not stop!